Influences of Teen Pregnancy Portrayed in the Media on Teen Pregnancy Rates

Elizabeth Truesdale and Jasmine McKinney, CWP 102: Argumentation and Research Faculty Mentors: Professor Jane E. Sullivan, College Writing Program and Professor Susan Mary Paige, Academic Success Program The influence of social media on teens has reached great levels, and there is now evidence that it may be having a significant effect on the increase in teen pregnancy rates. In recent years, prior to the widespread use of social media by teens, teen pregnancy rates had been dropping from their all-time highest rates. With an influx of teens using social media, pregnancy rates have started to increase once again. Is social media really to blame? We complete a comprehensive literature review and collect data on teen pregnancy through interviews. We interview expecting (baby) and non-expecting sexually active teens between the ages of 14 and 18 years, and question them about their level of knowledge on teen pregnancy. We also ask them to track their media exposure, specifically looking at the influence of the media about pregnancy on teens. With these interviews, we expect to find a correlation between media exposure and increased teen pregnancy rates.